Which State Has The Most Second Marriages, And What It Means For You

When it comes to getting married, most people only want to do it one time. They foresee a lifelong bond that can only be severed by death. However, in the state of Arkansas, the want and the reality are two different things. According to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state is quite terrible at holding on to first marriages. It led the nation in the number of second marriages and third marriages.

What this indicates

When you look at the traditional age range for marriage, Arkansas residents tend to get married young. Furthermore, the state has one of the poorest average salaries in the U.S. So the cocktail of young marriage and high poverty leads to divorce early and often. Aside from not having the best rates at first marriage, Arkansas residents also tend to stumble at second marriage, since they lead in the third marriage department as well.

What does this mean to you if you plan on getting married in Arkansas or anywhere else for that matter?

It means that age, experience, and income all play major roles in whether a marriage succeeds or not. It also means that there are cultural realities you should be mindful of before following suit because “all my friends are getting married, so I should to” poisons your thinking.

Statistics shouldn’t dictate every decision that you make when it comes to marriage or life in general, but you should be mindful of their effects. They show trends, and if you have any doubts whatsoever — even if they’re far-recessed doubts — it could be a good idea to bring them back to the front and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why do I really want to get married?

2. What is it about this person that makes me want to stay with them for the rest of my life?

3. Am I feeling any external pressure to make this decision?

4. What sets my situation apart from every other situation where my peers got a divorce?

If you’re brutally honest with yourself about the answers to each of these questions and still want to get married, then have at it. But don’t go into it blindly without first listening to the statistics. Good luck!